Kailor: Thank you for reading! Hope you liked the last chap! On to the next! As you know, I am not J.K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter. Though if she ever wants to give that wonderful world away, I'm quite willing to accept.
"They know?" Minerva said, dropping heavily into the chair behind her desk.
"Yes," Lyall confirmed. He took the seat opposite her. After a moment he gave the speech he'd very carefully prepared. There were aspects of Harry's letter that he wasn't going to tell-like Hagrid's involvement. He went over how the kids had become suspicious of Quirrel, how they'd gone to check the corridor, how they overheard him and Snape in the woods. He made it sound like they ran across the dead unicorn during the same trip into the forest. By the time he finished, Minerva looked ready to spit fire.
"Those kids are too smart for their own good," she said, shaking her head. "I can't say I'm surprised. You were always into things you shouldn't be, as well."
"I do hope they won't be punished," Lyall cut in smoothly. "They will be reprimanded by Faolan and me, but they were doing what they thought was right."
For a few moments, the Transfiguration professor didn't say anything. She tapped her chin with one long finger, lips pursed. "I will not punish them, Lyall. However, I will inform Professor Flitwick and Miss Clearwater of their nighttime wanderings. Those cannot continue."
"Of course, Minnie."
"Would you like to stay for dinner? I believe you should also speak with Professor Snape."
"Certainly. And then I want to speak with Quirrel. I fear he may not be working alone." Lyall watched her eyes narrow.
"I can't say I trust the man either. But surely you don't think You-Know-Who-"
"Voldemort," Lyall corrected her. "I believe it's a possibility that should be looked into. May I see the children now?"
"I'm sure they're in their usual place. Come."
XXXXXXX
It was their day off, so the Pack(as Ven had taken to calling them) was down at their spot by the lake. Harry was deeply immersed in a game of chess with Ron. The redhead boy was beating him badly. He ran his hands through his hair for probably the hundredth time since they'd started. Hermione, sitting beside him, was absolutely no help. "My grandmother loved to play chess, but I never really got into it. I know this little castle here can only move in straight lines. That seems awfully inconvenient."
"It's called a rook, Hermione," Ron said, offended for his beloved game. "And it happens to be one of the strongest pieces on the board!"
Harry moved his knight so Ron's queen couldn't take it. Ron nearly leapt on the board, his bishop taking the very knight Harry thought he was saving. "Checkmate," Ron happily crowed.
As his friends laughed around him, Harry groaned. Then Hermione said, "Who's that with Professor McGonagall?"
He looked up. At nearly the same moment Ven shot to her feet, Harry was up and running. "Da!"
Lyall spread his arms wide and chuckled as his two kids plowed into him, taking him to the grass. "Hey now! I'm old! Careful with your da!"
"What are you doing here?" Ven asked, still hugging him tight.
"I came to visit Minn-uh, Professor McGonagall." Lyall said, glancing at Harry and raising an eyebrow.
He understood immediately. His letter had brought his father to Hogwarts.
When the Lachlans managed to disentangle themselves and stand, the rest of the Pack was there. Harry took it upon himself to introduce them. "This is Hermione Granger, Padma Patil, Ron, Fred, and George Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Penny Clearwater."
"Ah," Lyall said, shaking each's hand. "So you're Hermione, eh?"
Her cheeks pinkened. "Yes, sir."
"Nice to finally meet you. Harry's written about you." Noticing the uncomfortable look on his son's face, Lyall added, "And the rest of you, as well. I'm glad my kids made such good friends."
"How long are you staying?" Harry asked, trying to ignore the heat in his face.
"Until after dinner. Min-Professor McGonagall has invited me to join you all tonight."
On their way back to the castle, Lyall touched Ven's shoulder and whispered something. With a salute, she grabbed Hermione and Padma and pulled them back to walk with Neville and Ron, leaving Harry alone with his father.
"Seems you've had an interesting year so far," Lyall said, his voice low. Harry just nodded, not sure what to say. He had expected his da to be angry. But the blonde man's face showed nothing but amusement and maybe a little worry. Lyall continued, "And I agree with you. I spoke to Minerva about what's going on here. She's quite upset that the lot of you know about the stone. She's not surprised, though." His smile made Harry laugh.
"But, Harry," Lyall cut off his laughter. "This is serious business. I want you to try and stay out of it, you understand? If you can avoid getting involved, do it. If not...we'll deal with that if it comes to it."
Something in his da's face frightened Harry. The way his eyes seemed to tremble, his skin lost color, his scar wrinkled up... He looked scared. Never, in his whole life, had Harry seen his da look scared of anything. "Da, what's going on? Do you know something?"
"I know more than I can say," Lyall said. "But I must speak to Dumbledore and Snape before I do anything else. For now, just promise me you'll try, Harry?"
"I promise, Da."
"Good lad. Now let's get your friends back up here. I want to hear all about what's been going on that isn't dangerous or criminal."
"Oh, well that conversation won't last long."
Lyall laughed, clapping his son on the shoulder.
XXXXXXX
When they entered the hall for dinner, however, Lyall stopped. "Minnie, where's Dumbledore?"
She frowned. "I don't know. He's normally here before I am. Give me a moment. Stay here." She swept away towards the staff table, leaving the rest of them in the doorway. Students were staring questioningly at the stranger with them.
McGonagall was soon back, accompanied by Professors Flitwick and Snape. "Albus is gone," she said, breathless.
"He got an urgent summons from the ministry about an hour ago," Flitwick added.
Now Lyall's eyebrows drew together. "I got here about an hour ago...where is Quirrel?" At that very moment, the defense professor stepped into the hall behind them. He froze, his eyes flitting among the crowd blocking the door. One hand flew to his turban, as if making sure it were still there. Lyall stepped towards him slowly. "Professor Quirrel, we need to speak, if you don't mind."
Quirrel's eyes widened in recognition. The stuttering professor, usually so timid and jumpy, suddenly acted. His wand was out before anyone could react, and he screamed, "Detecto Vulnere!"
Lyall had thrown up a shield, expecting the attack to be at him. To everyone's horror, it wasn't.
The spell glanced off Harry's shoulder and hit Ven full in the face. Searing pain shot through Harry's forehead and he tumbled back into Ron, clutching his head and taking them both to the floor. Something hot and wet touched his hand and he pulled it away to find dark red on his fingertips. But he didn't care enough to try and feel the wound. His attention was on his sister.
Ven was on all fours beside him, her hand held up to her face. His heart nearly stopped at the sight of blood pooling in her palm and running over to the floor. Penny was knelt next to her, trying to see her face. Students were screaming behind them. Teachers were yelling. McGonagall and Snape chased after Quirrel, who had turned tail and ran. Lyall was calling for Madam Pomfrey. Prefects were trying to calm the students down. Harry ignored it all. He crawled across the floor to his twin.
She lifted her head, one eye scrunched closed in pain. The scar across her nose had split open, pouring blood down her face. "Ven," he whispered, horrified.
"Forget it," she grunted. "Quirrel's got to be going after the stone. We have to help." She grabbed the edge of her robes and yanked, ripping off a long strip. As she tied it around her face, Professor Flitwick appeared at her side with Madam Pomfrey.
"Go, Mr. Lachlan," Madam Pomfrey said. "I'll take care of her."
With one last glance at his kids, Lyall followed Snape and McGonagall. Llyr, Albion, and Cedric were there a heartbeat later. Albion bent to see Ven's wound and Llyr was trying to make Harry sit still so he could see how bad off he was.
But Ven was moving. And Harry didn't hesitate to join her. They raced from the hall together, heading for the third floor. Harry heard panting behind him, but didn't dare to look to see who was following. He wouldn't let anyone stop him. Quirrel was going to get the stone and that was all that mattered.
XXXXXXX
Only when they reached the door to the third floor corridor did they slow down. Harry grabbed the handle, pausing to catch his breath. Panting behind him made him turn. To his surprise, Hermione, Ron, Padma, and Neville were there.
Padma was fixing the strip of cloth around Ven's face, making sure it was tight enough to stop the bleeding. Ron was clutching a stitch in his side. And Neville was doubled up, gasping for breath. Hermione was also holding her ribs, but she spoke. "What's the plan, Harry?"
He bit his lip, thinking quickly. "Okay, Padma and Hermione. You two get up to the owlery. Hedwig will be there. Send her to Dumbledore telling him Quirrel's gone after the stone. Ron and Neville, if one of you could go and get Hagrid and one of you keep watch here in case someone comes out-"
"No way."
Harry stumbled to a halt, staring at Hermione. "What?"
"You heard me, Lachlan." She poked him in the chest with a stern finger. "If you're still planning on going down there, then we're coming with you!"
Harry shook his head. "Why would you do that?" And for a moment he heard Hagrid's voice, asking the same question in the back doorway of his hut.
Hermione rolled her eyes, like that was the most ridiculous question, and smiled. "Because you're our friend, Harry. If you go, we do too."
Harry looked at the rest, hoping one of them could change Hermione's mind. But they stood shoulder to shoulder, determined looks on each of their faces.
"Don't be thick, mate. I'm in." Ron crossed his arms, a physical sign that he wasn't going to budge.
"My parents will have a new favorite daughter when this is over, I'm sure," Padma said. "But like I said before, let's do the thing." She cracked her knuckles.
Neville's voice shook nearly as much as his hands, but his knees were steady. "My gran will be thrilled I even tried to be of use. I could trip over my own feet the second we get in there and break my neck, and she'd spend the rest of her life talking about what a hero I was."
Ven clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Don't waste your time arguing, brother. We don't know what we'll find down there. They could help. If it gets too much, we'll all pull out. Including you. Where you go, we go."
Feeling a strange moisture in his eyes, Harry nodded and turned back to the door. "Let's go." He swung it open, wand ready.
XXXXXXX
Penny and Cedric had managed to stop Llyr and Albion from charging after the others. Madam Pomfrey had attempted to hold on to Fred and George, but the twins had struggled so much that Professor Flitwick was forced to conjure ropes to bind them with. The hall was in an uproar, students screaming, teachers demanding answers, and ghosts flying around through people, which didn't help the situation at all. Finally, Professor Flitwick climbed onto a seventh year's shoulders and cast a loud bang with his wand. The hall quieted, staring at the tiny professor.
"I need everyone to remain calm! Please, follow your prefects back to your dormitories and do not leave them until a professor comes to get you! Miss Clearwater, a word?" As Flitwick hopped off the unfortunate seventh year and the rest of the school started pushing towards the doors, he pulled Penny off to a corner. "I want you to go up to the owlery. Write Professor Dumbledore and tell him he is needed back at Hogwarts as quickly as possible. Tell him Professor Quirrel attacked two students and fled, followed by Professors Snape and McGonagall. That will be enough to ensure Albus returns with all haste. Go, now, Miss Clearwater. Hurry!"
Dodging students moving every direction, Penny made it to the Entrance Hall and started fighting her way up the stairs. The railing felt oddly sticky and she looked at it, confused. But it wasn't the railing. Her hands were still covered in Ven's blood. The world seemed to spin for a brief moment and she felt sick. As if she were still back in the Great Hall, she saw again as the spell hit Harry and Ven.
Harry had gone down, hissing in pain. Ven hadn't made a noise. Her head had simply snapped back, then rocked forward, pulling her to her knees. Penny fought the image of the blood pooling on the stone floor and Harry's scared face.
She shook herself, focusing on the task she'd been given. Now wasn't the time to think about that. She was sure she'd have the nightmares later to remind her.
Kailor: And I will cut it off here because next chapter gets crazy! "Detecto Vulnere", by the way, is Latin for "open wound". Hope you enjoyed. I know it's short, but I will make up for that next chapter. Reviews appreciated, as always! More reviews, faster updates!